With many gun manufacturers introducing
sub-compact semi-auto pistols lately, folks have been hoping
that Smith & Wesson would introduce one as well. The wait is
over, and the new M&P Shield was worth the wait. No need to
keep you in suspense until the end of this review; in my
opinion, the Shield is among the best of the new breed of
sub-compact 9mm pistols.

Not quite a pocket gun, but smaller than most
compact autos, the Shield falls into that “just right”
category. While I carried this one around in my pocket for a
while, I prefer to carry it in a thin inside-the-waistband
holster, such as a Cross Breed
Supertuck, or pulled in tightly to my side in an outside
holster such as the Simply
Rugged Pancake, or a Galco
belt holster.

What makes the Shield so much better for
concealed carry as opposed to the M&P Compact is the
thinness of the Shield. The Shield uses a magazine design of a
semi-double-column arrangement, with the wider mag body tapering
at the top to a single column. The Shield comes supplied with
both a seven-round and an eight-round magazine, with the latter
extending .45 of an inch below the base of the grip, extending
the grip for a better hold. Unlike the full-sized and compact
M&P pistols, the Shield does not utilize interchangeable
grip inserts, nor does it need any. The grip feels perfect in my
large hand, and I also received positive comments on the pistol’s
grip from shooters with hand sizes varying from tiny to huge.
The trigger reach fits most any hand well, and the trigger pull
is among the best for a sub-compact pistol.

The Shield wears a very good set of three-dot
sights, adjustable for windage correction by moving laterally in
the slide dovetail. The sights are large enough to see easily,
yet neither obtrusive nor prone to snag. Perfect. Stripping the
Shield down for cleaning is very simple, requires no tools, and
will be familiar to anyone who has disassembled a full-sized
M&P pistol. The slide locks open on an empty magazine, with
the slide lock located in the familiar left-side position at the
top of the polymer frame. The Shield has an internal striker
safety which prevents the weapon from firing unless the trigger
is pulled, and there is also a manual safety for right-handed
shooters at the upper left side of the frame. In the upper
position, the safety blocks the trigger, and pushes downward to
the “fire” position. There is no magazine disconnect safety,
so the pistol will fire with the magazine removed. The magazine
bodies are, thankfully, made of steel, and are well-formed and
finished. The followers are polymer, as are the magazine bases.

The black Melonite-coated steel slide matches
the finish of the polymer frame very well, and the Melonite is a
very durable finish, protecting the hard parts from corrosion.

Critical specifications for the 9mm M&P
Shield are listed in the chart below. Weights are listed in
ounces. Linear dimensions are listed in inches. Trigger pull is
listed in pounds of resistance, as measured with my Lyman
digital trigger pull scale. Height includes sights and magazine
base with the standard seven-shot magazine in place. Maximum
width is measured across the top of the frame, and includes the
slide lock.

Chambering

9x19mm

Weight with empty
magazine

20 oz.

Trigger Pull

6 lbs.

Barrel Length

3.12"

Barrel Diameter

0.56"

Overall Height

4.60"

Overall Length

6.10"

Grip Thickness

0.93"

Frame Width

0.962"

Slide Width

0.91"

Maximum Width

1.05"

Trigger Reach

2.71"

Magazine Capacity

7 or 8

Magazines Supplied

2

Accessory Rail

No

I fired a variety of
ammunition over the chronograph to check velocities, with the
results listed in the chart below. Velocities are listed in
feet-per-second. Bullet weights are listed in grains. JHP is a
jacketed hollowpoint bullet. DPX, Buffalo Bore Lead Free, and
Double Tap Tac-XP are hollow nose homogenous copper bullets that
are made by Barnes Bullets. Guard
Dog is a FMJ with a soft plastic core to promote rapid
expansion. FP is a frangible, pre-fragmented flatnose bullet.
FMJ is a full metal jacket roundnose bullet. FMJ-FN is a full
metal jacket flat nose Buffalo Bore Penetrator bullet. PB is Pow’RBall,
a specialty bullet from Cor-Bon. Glaser is a pre-fragmented
bullet. Velocities were taken at an elevation of 541 feet above
sea level, with an air temperature of ninety degrees Fahrenheit.
Velocities were recorded at ten feet from the muzzle.

Ammunition

Bullet Weight

Velocity

Buffalo Bore Lead Free
HP

95

1386

Buffalo Bore Lead Free
HP

115

1186

Federal Guard Dog

105

1117

Double Tap Tac-HP

115

1003

Double Tap FMJ

147

1013

Atomic HP

124

1136

WCC NATO FMJ

124

1001

Fiocchi FMJ

115

1070

Buffalo Bore FMJ-FN

124

1215

Buffalo Bore JHP

115

1272

Buffalo Bore +P JHP

115

1313

Buffalo Bore +P JHP

147

1047

Cor-Bon Glaser

80

1601

Cor-Bon JHP

115

1314

Cor-Bon Pow’RBall

100

1298

Cor-Bon +P DPX

115

1142

Cor-Bon JHP

125

1262

Stryker JHP

115

1010

International Cartridge
FP

100

1061

Stryker FMJ

115

1070

The short barrel of the M&P Shield turned
in very respectable velocities. I fired twenty types of 9x19mm
ammunition through the Shield. Functioning was perfect. Every
round fed, fired, and ejected without fail. Ejection was to the
side, and no empty cartridge cases were flung towards the
shooter. Reliability is paramount in a fighting handgun, and
this Shield runs smoothly, reliably, and is easy to shoot. The
size and feel of the Shield is just right. Not too small, and
not too large. It is thin and lightweight, but shooting the
Shield feels like shooting a larger weapon, in that the design
of the grip handles recoil very well, with either magazine in
place. Accuracy was very good. I made no attempt to benchrest
the Shield, instead firing it as it was intended, at distances
from three out to twenty-five yards at a standard human-sized
silhouette target. It was easy to keep all shots in the kill
zone at those distances, and rapid-fire at seven and ten yards
produced fist-sized groups in the vital zone.

The M&P Shield would be an ideal backup
weapon for law enforcement officers who carry an M&P as a
duty gun. The only thing that this pistol needs to serve as a
good primary weapon for concealed carry is a Crimson Trace
laser, and Crimson Trace has a Laserguard in the works, to be
released for shipping soon.

There are many sub-compact 9mm pistols on the
market now, with more being released to the market regularly.
Some are better than others, and as I stated earlier, this
S&W M&P Shield is among the best. Balancing size,
weight, power, price, and ease-of-shooting, manufacturers have
to try and get the precise combination of features, getting
every detail as close to “right” as possible. With the new
M&P Shield, Smith & Wesson got it right. It is reliable,
accurate, and priced competitively. MSRP as of this writing is
only $449 US, and the Shield is in full production and available
now in both 9x19mm and 40 S&W calibers. As soon as I can
bolt a Laserguard onto this Shield, it will start riding on my
hip on a regular basis. The M&P Shield is built right,
priced right, and built in the USA.

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